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www.papakuracourier.co.nz Wednesday, February 16, 2011
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MARCH 2
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A bogey for golf club
By HINERANGI VAIMOSO
PLANS to relocate Manukau
Golf Club to make way for
500 houses on its Takanini
course have fallen through,
forcing members back to the
drawing board.
Fletcher Residential had
offered to build a new golf
course for the club as part of
a $32 million deal to develop
the Conifer Grove land for
housing.
But water issues with the
new proposed course have
brought the plans to a halt.
The five members of the
club s board of managers
were to meet last night to dis-
cuss options after Friday s
announcement through a let-
ter from board chairman
Gwynne Jones.
Following extensive ques-
tioning by the Manukau Golf
Club, board of management
of Fletcher Residential and
further hydrological evalu-
ation by them, Fletcher Resi-
dential has advised that the
remediation of water issues
cannot be satisfactorily
achieved without incurring
significant additional cost,
his letter says.
Fletcher Residential has
advised that it is not in a pos-
ition to deliver the course and
facilities within budget as
planned on the proposed
site.
The letter then goes on to
say voting on the proposal --
due to happen in March -- will
not need to go ahead but that
Fletcher Residential still
wants to pursue an arrange-
ment with the club.
The land is zoned residen-
tial in an area where land is
at a premium. The project to
convert it into a 500-home
housing development was
part of a deal proposed by
Fletcher Residential and Ross
Reid Contractors.
It comes at a time when
club expenses are rising but
members budgets are
already stretched.
It s believed the club also
had a large bank debt to ser-
vice and that it lost money
last year.
The Fletcher Residential
deal would have meant the
club would score $2m
upfront, $10m down the track
and a new golf course worth
$20m.
The current course is
believed to be worth $40m
which translates into about
$80,000 for each of the
proposed 500 properties, a
bargain compared to the sur-
rounding section prices which
can sell for up to $270,000.
Member and Conifer Grove
resident Mike Turner is
pleased the deal s ground to a
halt.
The issue isn t just about
losing a golf course but the
village feel that makes
Conifer Grove desirable, he
says.
Residents must realise that
another 500 houses could
mean another few hundred
children in the area.
The former Conifer Grove
School board of trustees
chairman says the impli-
cations of the development
for local schools, roads and
infrastructure are things
those voting on the proposal
need to take into consider-
ation.
It s good news for the
meantime to know it s not
going to happen now but it s
just delaying the inevitable,
he says.
Mr Jones says while the
options were to be discussed
with board members last
night nothing would be made
public until club members
have had a chance to voice
their opinions and offer
suggestions.
SPCA therapy visit
a pet day for David
Quality time: David Otway with Hugo the donkey from SPCA Outreach Therapy Pets.
Photo: HINERANGI VAIMOSO
David Otway has always had
a soft spot for animals after
growing up on a deer farm.
So when volunteers from
SPCA Outreach Therapy
Pets visited the Abano Brain
Injury Rehabilitation Centre
where Mr Otway lives in
Takanini last Friday, his
excitement was obvious.
I ve always loved ani-
mals. I once had a dog called
Scruffy that I had for years
and a cat so I really like
today.
Some people here have
never been around animals
and don t really know how to
handle them so this is good
for them to get that experi-
ence too.
Occupational therapist
Belinda Simpson says the
Outreach Therapy Pets
visits have always been
popular with clients who
travelled from west Auck-
land, Whangarei and Hamil-
ton on Friday.
International research
shows the calming influence
of animals controls blood
pressure and dramatically
reduces the chance of heart
attacks while helping coron-
ary victims recover.
Among the animals on
duty on Friday were a don-
key, a bantam hen, a couple
of cats, dogs, a rabbit and a
guinea pig.
Hugo the donkey was a big
hit with many clients but it
was the group of energetic
dogs that held the spotlight
for Mr Otway.
He says he s missed
having a dog since Scruffy
died about 10 years ago.
People keen to share their
animals through Outreach
Therapy Pets can go to
spca.org.nz/volunteer/
outreach.htm to download an
application.
Go to www.papa
kuracourier.co.nz to
see Hugo the donkey
and the other animals
on their visit to
Takanini.